WoRMS name details
Physeter catodon Linnaeus, 1758
137118 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137118)
unaccepted (synonym)
Species
- Subspecies Physeter catodon australis Tomilin, 1957 (uncertain > nomen dubium)
- Subspecies Physeter catodon catodon Tomilin, 1957 (uncertain > nomen dubium)
marine, terrestrial
Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species, with characters, differences, synonyms, places.]. <em>Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm].</em> 1(10) [iii], 824 p., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 76 [details] Available for editors
[request]
page(s): 76 [details] Available for editors
[request]
Taxonomy Some workers prefer use of this name for the sperm whale, rather than P. macrocephalus, also described by Linnaeus (1758),...
Taxonomy Some workers prefer use of this name for the sperm whale, rather than P. macrocephalus, also described by Linnaeus (1758), based on their interpretation of Linnaeus' diagnoses of the two nominal species and belief that P. macrocephalus refers to the pilot whale Globicephala melas. However, most workers now consider both names to refer to the sperm whale, with P. macrocephalus having line priority on the page in Linnaeus' work. [details]
Fordyce, E.; Perrin, W.F. (2025). World Cetacea Database. Physeter catodon Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137118 on 2025-07-05
Date
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Attribution 4.0 License
Nomenclature
original description
Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species, with characters, differences, synonyms, places.]. <em>Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm].</em> 1(10) [iii], 824 p., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 76 [details] Available for editors [request]
basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]
page(s): 76 [details] Available for editors
[request]basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details]
Other
context source (Deepsea)
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), available online at http://www.iobis.org/ [details]
additional source Animal Diversity Web. <em>University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.</em> , available online at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html [details]
additional source Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). , available online at http://www.itis.gov [details]
additional source Animal Diversity Web. <em>University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.</em> , available online at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html [details]
additional source Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). , available online at http://www.itis.gov [details]
Present Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Synonymy Most workers now use P. macrocephalus for the sperm whale [details]Taxonomy Some workers prefer use of this name for the sperm whale, rather than P. macrocephalus, also described by Linnaeus (1758), based on their interpretation of Linnaeus' diagnoses of the two nominal species and belief that P. macrocephalus refers to the pilot whale Globicephala melas. However, most workers now consider both names to refer to the sperm whale, with P. macrocephalus having line priority on the page in Linnaeus' work. [details]
Unreviewed
Habitat offshore [details]Predators None [details]
| Language | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Albanian | kashaloti | [details] |
| Dutch | potvis | [details] |
| French | grand cachalot | [details] |
| German | Pottwal | [details] |
| Hebrew | ראשתן | [details] |
| Italian | capodoglio | [details] |
| Lithuanian | kašalotas | [details] |
| Modern Greek (1453-) | Φυσητήρας | [details] |
| Norwegian | spermhval | [details] |
| Norwegian Bokmål | spermhvalspermasetthvalkaskelotthvalkaskelott | [details] |
| Norwegian Nynorsk | spermkvalspermasettkvalkaskelottkvalkaskelott | [details] |
| Polish | kaszalot (zwyczajny) | [details] |
| Russian | кашало́т | [details] |
| Slovenian | kit glavač | [details] |
| Spanish | cachalote común | [details] |
| Swedish | kaskelot | [details] |
| Turkish | kaşalotispermeçet balinasıispermecet balinası | [details] |
| Ukrainian | Кашалот | [details] |
Marine Life Information Network - UK
To Barcode of Life (61 barcodes)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (181 publications)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Physeter catodon)
To GenBank (216260 nucleotides; 53398 proteins)
To NMNH Extant Collection (USNM 487416 Physeter catodon Radiograph 001)
To PESI
To ITIS
To Barcode of Life (61 barcodes)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (181 publications)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Physeter catodon)
To GenBank (216260 nucleotides; 53398 proteins)
To NMNH Extant Collection (USNM 487416 Physeter catodon Radiograph 001)
To PESI
To ITIS
